I Can't Believe You Haven't Read KRISTIN LAVRANSDATTER

No matter how late it is, I have to read for at least a few minutes or else I can't go to sleep. It turns out Kristin Lavransdatter: The Bridal Wreath by Sigrid Undset was the wrong book to keep beside my bed, because I couldn't read for just a few minutes. I devoured this book, stopping only to check the title page several times, unable to believe that it hadn't been written in English.

That's the first marvel of this trilogy, written in the 1920's and set in Catholic medieval Norway: the incredibly fluid and evocative language. I'm reading the translation by Charles Archer and J. S. Scott, which preserves enough of the formal language of medieval times to give it flavor, without obscuring the meaning or tone of the narrative. (I haven't read the 2005 Nunnaly translation, which is said to be more concise.) I suppose Norwegian is a language similar enough to English that at least some phrases must have translated easily, but that doesn't fully explain the miraculously felicitous languge. Listen to this:

To the folk of the Dale, waiting and waiting for the spring to deliver them, it seemed as though it would never come. The days grew long and light, and the steam-cloud from the melting snow lay on all the valley as long as the sun shone. But the cold still held the air, and there was no strength in the heat to overcome it. By night it froze hard -- there was loud cracking from the ice, there were booming sounds from the distant fells; and the wolves howled and the fox barked down among the farms as at midwinter. Mend stripped the bark from the trees for their cattle, but they dropped down dead in their stalls by scores. None could tell how all this way to end.

Kristen went out on such a day, when the water was trickling in the ruts, and the snow on the fields around glistened like silver. The snow-wreaths had been eaten away hollow on the side toward the sun, so that the fine ice-trellis of the snow-crust edges broke with a silver tinkle when her foot touched them. But everywhere, where the smallest shadow fell, the sharp cold held the air and the snow was hard.

This passage is, of course, not simply a skillfully-drawn bit of scenery; it's a mirror of what is going on in Kristen's heart, as she longs and hungers after the relief she desires, trying to thaw her father's frozen will -- but she knows, deep down, that at the heart of her triumph lies cold sorrow and pain.

Such deft little double revelations are the second miracle of this novel. The omniscient narrator warns and warns the reader of the folly of Kristin's choices -- but simultaneously makes us understand perfectly why she would do the foolish things she does. We all know a man exactly like the one she falls for: still skating by on charm and good intentions even in his late thirties, still persuading people that, somehow, his sins are more bad luck than bad faith. We want, almost as much as Kristin does, to trust him; she knows, almost as well as we do, that she can't.

The characters are so believable because they are not entirely consistent -- no one is all good or all bad, and even as Kristin deliberately allows herself to be deceived as only a young woman can, she has flashes of adult irritation, rage, and self-knowledge. And it's not just a lady's novel: Undset somehow knows what's in the mind of the men, too. Kristin's father, Lavrans, moves through the novel in the same way that (as far as I can tell!) many real men move through their actual lives: in armor of strength, courage, and steadfastness, which occasionally and unpredictably shifts aside to reveal profound regret and panicked self-doubt, a bitterness toward life which is quickly and smoothly covered over again with a better self.

Poor Kristen, poor Lavrans, and poor, poor Ragnfrid, the unappealing mother, so steeped in loss and secret remorse that she can hardly stand to be with herself, and helplessly punishes all around her because of her sense of guilt.

And this is the third part of the novel that utterly blew me away: it portrays a culture and sensibility which could hardly be more alien to how even faithful Catholics live today. Some of the customs are things we have lost and many of us long for: the seamless marriage of faith and daily living; the unquestioned security of family. And some are barbarically unfair and cruel: the monstrously unjust laws of inheritance; the father's utter control over the lives of his daughters; the unseemly temporal power of the Church, and the meddling of the king in the moral lives of his subjects. And Ragnfrid's endless guilt.

But in any recent novel, the narrator would be slamming us over the head with the injustice of it all: can you imagine treating women this way, etc.; or else Kristin's world would be sighingly presented as a simpler time when love and honor were still the norm, alas. Undset does not play either of these disingenuous tricks. Instead, she shows exactly how it all makes sense for the people involved. The behavior of the characters, their desires and their innermost thoughts, are all entirely consistent with their world, which is so unlike ours; and yet we feel that we know them, and understand all too well their choices and moods. Love has never been simple, and Undset doesn't pretend that it was then or is now.

Please, don't tell me what happens next! I know things won't end well for Kristin, but I haven't read the next two books in the trilogy, and I'm SO looking forward to suffering through it all.

Comments

I just finished re-reading the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy (Penguin edition) translated by Tiina Nunnally and it is so much easier to read than the awkward Archer translation that tried to mimic medieval English. http://seattletimes.com/pacificnw/2001/0909/people.html
I recommended the first book, The Wreath for our book club. The single books are available used on Amazon or other used book sites. I bought the three volume edition and it is a bit heavy, I should have gotten it on kindle. I hope my fellow book lovers will continue to read the second and third volumes because it just gets better with each one as the characters grow older and the saga continues. This is one of my all time favorite books and I was concerned that it might be too Catholic for the group and was happy to read the comment posted by John Williams. I had started the Lymond Chronicals and liked the first book, but was not able to finish the series, but have ebnjoyed all of Undset’s medieval books.

Posted by Debbie Nance on Monday, Feb 24, 2014 3:25 PM (EST):

Can’t tell you how happy these posts made me - other people who actually know about Sigrid Undset and Kristin Lavransdatter. Since my first reading in 1980, the Kristin Lavransdatter books have been my favorite books and my top recommendation to friends asking for something good to read. I have read at different times in my life and found that the Kristin I loved as a young unmarried woman, is much different from “my Kristin” as a newlywed, as a mother of young children, and now as a mother with older children. The humanity of these books have helped me to understand what my own aging mother went through as she “gave up her keys” and came to live with my family. I encourage you to read Ms. Undset’s other books - the characters are just as memorable with wonderful story lines.

Posted by barnard t on Friday, Dec 20, 2013 12:09 AM (EST):

I’m just returning to the book after having read it as a late teen some decades ago. I was thinking of getting the Nunnally Penguin translation, but have found that Penguins only publish the work as an omnibus, having discontinued the three volume edition. I find the single volume are more handy, whether this be Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy or Adams’ Hitchhiker books. So I’m reading through the Archer and Scott and although people make some scathing comments about it (frequently perhaps justified), the omnibus edition is too much of a doorstop. I do have a 1923 “Norwegian” edition and this is handy in checking here and there what Archer and Scott omit. In the first volume at least there doesn’t seem to be that much. I am glad then that Vintage keeps the Archer and Scott in print.

Posted by John Williams on Thursday, Aug 29, 2013 12:36 PM (EST):

Something else just occurred to me. The location of this thread and many of the comments on it suggest that KL is a ‘Catholic’ novel. I’m not a Catholic, and never saw KL as a Catholic novel. It’s a novel about people living in late mediaeval Norway. For the novel to be authentic, these people have to be Catholic, very religious and superstitious. That’s another reason why it’s so great; it is so deeply rooted in the period in which it is set, and makes no concessions to the 20th century.

Posted by gsk on Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 3:16 PM (EST):

I just finished the entire Hestviken saga on Kindle. Beautiful!

Posted by John Williams on Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 1:57 PM (EST):

KL is the best novel I ever read. Read it through three or four times, and often return to it to read a favourite passage. The contrasting deathbed scenes of the three main male characters are breathtaking. Much prefer the Archer translation. I’ve read both, and prefer Archer’s style even if it is a bit cod mediaeval. It preserves the atmosphere of the book and, in spite of its omissions, keeps the narrative pretty much intact. Nunnally goes too far the other way, and makes too many concessions to the late 20th century. For example, there should be no need to explain the churching of women after childbirth every time it happens, and I’m sure 14th century Norwegians would have referred to their northern neighbours as Lapps rather than Sami even though this word is considered politically incorrect today. (A bit like taking the ‘n’ word out of To Kill a Mockingbird.)
I would love to read Master of Hestviken, but this seems to be out of print and near impossible to get hold of. Any ideas?

Posted by Genevieve Kineke on Wednesday, Aug 1, 2012 2:36 PM (EST):

@Monique: if by any chance you happen by here again (or have subscribed to the feed) I want to offer you deep and profound thanks for mentioning the Lymond Chronicles. I got the first book shortly after your comment on this thread, and just this morning finished Book Six. It took weeks of marathon reading, and, admittedly, a couple times I almost lost faith due to Lymond’s more scandalous actions! Truly, I found them astonishing, breath-taking throughout, and far more then I ever thought possible in literature. Being an enormous fan of Sigred Undset, I didn’t know she could be surpassed in scope, and yet Dorothy Dunnett was utterly brilliant. (Of course the religious element was not developed, but I could ponder that aspect of the saga on my own.) Since I just spent two months immersed in the 16th century, and many things were put on hold during that time, I will have to wait to start another of Dunnett’s works. Still, I have lots to ponder, portions to reread for the sake of gratification, and there are even discussion groups with whom I can chew through some of the details. Thank you so much!

Posted by Robin Broun on Saturday, Jun 9, 2012 7:04 PM (EST):

This sounds like a really great book. Right up my alley. Thanks for the review!

Posted by Darryl on Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:48 PM (EST):

Also, @Shamrock, I could have written your post (except we have different biographies). KL is the most emotionally powerful book I’ve ever read. Like you, at the end I was almost convulsing in tears. I remember being wiped out and unable to sleep. Those memories are coming back to me now as I type this and remember. What made KL so affecting is that Undset EARNED it. After 1,000+ pages telling Kristin’s whole life, as the reader you feel for her in a way that a mere 2-hour film or a more ordinary book cannot even begin to capture. Undset creates a world and one woman’s life in it that is truer than anything else in literature. At least for me.

Posted by Darryl on Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:31 PM (EST):

Hello, I happened upon your blog and I’ve enjoyed reading the many posts on this wonderful novel. I’ll echo the others who recommend the more faithful Nunnally translation. I would also like to point out that you don’t have to be a woman or a Catholic or even a Christian to cherish this story. I’m none of those yet it’s still on of my favorite books and I’ll probably re-read it for the fourth time later this year when autumn starts. It’s a book made for late autumn.

Posted by Bee on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 10:16 PM (EST):

Once you have a love for Sigred Undset, don’t stop with KL. Master of Hestviken is wonderfully written, and my favorite of the two trilogies.
On a lighter note, there is a lovely short film we watch over and over again that has a wonderful twist of Undset. It is called the Danish Poet, and you can look it up on YouTube. A light finish to a long day of reading those fabulouse, real, heavy book.
Peace
Bee

Posted by nancyo on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 2:43 AM (EST):

I picked up this book when I was in my 30’s, on a return visit back home to help my mom who was recovering from surgery. I’m sorry to say that my attention to my mother was somewhat compromised; I couldn’t put the books down until I had completed all 3. I will be interested to see your report of the next two volumes. And now I’m starting to think that I should read the books again - 20 years later I wonder if I would identify with Kristin differently.

Posted by Patricia on Monday, May 21, 2012 1:22 PM (EST):

I am presently living in Norway, and her descriptions of nature, the fjords, the weather, were so enhanced for me. I would reccommend this book to anyone, its now one of my favourite books . I kept thinking wouldn’t this make a wonderful movie or series, but the chance of anyone keeping the integrity of the characters, or the Catholicism as portrayed , is slim to none. I cannot compare the two translations , I read the Nunnaly version and was swept away by her prose.

Posted by Kathryn on Friday, May 18, 2012 1:02 PM (EST):

I read Kristen Lavransdatter first at 17 and then at 22. I also read The Master of Hestviken and found both novels to be masterpieces of the human experience and of the Catholic soul. For those who advise against reading it too young, I would say, read it yourself and then judge according to your own teenager’s maturity level. Undset’s novels had a profound effect on me as an older teenager, allowing me some insight into men, into growing up, and into the trajectory of virtues and vices, weaknesses and strengths, over the course of the characters’ lifetimes, which I otherwise wouldn’t experience in my everyday life. Great literature imparts a kind of “vicarious life experience,” as my mother put it, which allows older teenagers and young adults to learn vitally important lessons without going through the experiences themselves. This can be extremely valuable during the late teens/early twenties. Over the years, my understanding of Undset’s characters has grown in the back of my mind as I have lived. They are books to be read over and over throughout one’s life, with greater understanding, but don’t wait until you have lived it all yourself! While Undset has “mature themes” and scenes that may be too strong for younger teenagers, her stories are an excellent way to witness a lifetime of moral growth through the characters; the stories are beautiful and full of mercy, rather than being moralistic. The moral choices in the novels are shown to have effects that ripple across the characters’ whole lifetimes, so the “mature themes” have full context and the reader can come to see the long-term, deeply felt effects of those choices. Someone said that KL should be read young, then in midlife/mid-marriage, and again late in life.

Posted by William J Quinn on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 6:57 PM (EST):

Father Schall of Georgetown, that lovely flower blooming on a dung heap, parentheticly remarked, “Kristin Lavransdatter, the greatest Christian novel ever written,“introduced me to the trilogy and I agreed

Posted by Tim Rohr on Monday, May 14, 2012 7:33 AM (EST):

As you may know, Undset went from atheist to Catholic in the course of writing this book or somewhere thereabouts. And I believe she won the 1928 Nobel Prize for Literature for the Master of Hestviken. Amazing that we have a) a woman, b) a convert to Catholicism, c) a Catholic Nobel Prize winner, and d) she’s hardly mentioned in Catholic academia. Reason: she became an ardent defender of traditional Catholicism and a critic of women’s lib in her latter days. In other words, she, despite her Nobel Prize, isn’t PC enough for mainstream Catholic academia. So glad I found this book though.

Posted by A Medievalist on Sunday, May 13, 2012 5:09 PM (EST):

For anyone looking for another author who comes close to Undset in historical accuracy, human insight, and depth of religious a brilliant understanding of (Catholic) Christianity—- check out H.M.F. Prescott’s “The Man on Donkey.”

“Kristin Lavransdatter” and Prescott’s “The Man on Donkey” occupy pride of place on my bookshelves that are otherwise given over to academic history. They’re the only two books that I can without hesitation recommend as “perfect” historical fiction.

Seriously, everyone on here who has read KL - please go ready “Man on a Donkey”, I promise promise promise you won’t be disappointed!!!

Posted by Nicole Verity on Saturday, May 12, 2012 7:18 PM (EST):

My mother turned me on to KL and the rest of Sigrid Undset’s works. I much prefer the Nunnally translation to the rather old-fashioned one I started with. I was able to go to Norway to visit some of the locales (still haven’t been to Trondheim, though!) seen in the books. The KL trilogy is my go-to book for getting lost in literature; the characters are old friends now.

Posted by Anita on Saturday, May 12, 2012 7:05 PM (EST):

I read those books and the story of St. Catherine as a girl, my Grandmother had them and encouraged me. A very Happy Mother’s Day tomorrow to all the mothers and grandmothers who love to read and encourage their loved ones to read. I wish I could thank my grandmother today for giving me so many wonderful books and a love of reading. This trilogy is one of the best ever.

Posted by Cait M on Friday, May 11, 2012 9:03 PM (EST):

When you’re finished with that, if you haven’t already, read Gunnar’s Daughter. It’s a very very fast, wonderful and devastating read. Much shorter, and definitely another “don’t put by your bed as a cure for insomnia” kind of book. Gunnar’s daughter and Lavran’s daughter are two very different characters and both women worth getting to know.

Posted by antigon on Friday, May 11, 2012 4:45 PM (EST):

The Scott/Archer translation does not leave out Kristin’s wedding night, which is one of the most powerful scenes in all literature.

Posted by Jason Novak on Friday, May 11, 2012 11:53 AM (EST):

I’m glad to see Sigrid Undset getting a little attention!

Here’s my take on Undset’s first historical work, “Gunnar’s Daughter”:

Very rarely has an entire life been presented in narrative form with such great realism and effect, and not just her own life, but the innermost thoughts and yearnings of all those lives interwoven around the title character. I have felt at so many points completely identifying with the characters’ fears, mien, and motivations.

Posted by Perelandra on Friday, May 11, 2012 10:05 AM (EST):

What more praise can I give but second all that’s above. A magnificent book! The last line of the trilogy is as exactly right as the last line of The Lord of the Rings. Master of Hestviken is more challenging but not quite as lovable as Kristin. Gunnar’s Daughter is as grim and concise as the finest Norse sagas.

But on a lighter note: a guy who fancied himself a master of literature once tried to pick me up with the line, “Let’s go up to my room and we can talk about Kristin Lavransdatter.”

Posted by Angelina on Friday, May 11, 2012 8:47 AM (EST):

I read this book at Mount St .Vincent College in the early 1950`s as one of 35 books we had to choose from a list for a course on Catholic Literature .I always remembered it as the best book I ever read .I find it hard to match ever since .These comments make me want to find it and read it again , then share it with friends .

Posted by Nurse Tammy on Friday, May 11, 2012 7:44 AM (EST):

I hardly ever read novels (my children scorn me for not being literary) but this post intrigued me enough to peek at it on Amazon and I read the first few pages as a preview.

My sons also tease me that I could take a conversation about anything and bring it back to infant death (caring for these moms is what I do all day, every day) so it was with unexpected fascination that the deaths of 3 babies “in the crib” set such a strong tone for this trilogy on the very first page. This reinforces my belief that (often forgotten but powerful) infant death influences much of human suffering.

Posted by Anne on Friday, May 11, 2012 7:29 AM (EST):

Amy and jedesto thank you for suggesting other books. I will definitely search for them. Being led to an epic, inspiring novel that you can love over a lifetime is quite similar to being introduced to someone who becomes a faithful, beloved friend . Thank you again for the suggestions.

Posted by susie on Friday, May 11, 2012 6:48 AM (EST):

O.K., somebody beat me to the reserve list at the Indpls. public library. I had never heard of this book! The only translation they have is the Archer translation. Looking forward to it coming in! I have two daughters 16 and 19, maybe we’ll have to fight over this!

Posted by cowalker on Friday, May 11, 2012 12:20 AM (EST):

Just going to comment, I’ve never read another novel that did a better job of portraying three-dimensional portraits of human beings, warts and virtues and all.

I read this novel as a very young woman (OK middle school) because it was available on the family bookshelves, and I loved it immediately. It was one of my mother’s books, and she had excellent taste! I read it and re-read it, beginning in my late middle school years. But no one, including my mother, urged me to read it. It is simply a compelling and powerfully insightful perspective into human nature. Wow, what a wonderful perspective into a cultural worldview!

Posted by SWP on Thursday, May 10, 2012 11:53 PM (EST):

Wow! I’m about to finish typing and go read the last pages of the third book. I have been unable to get any other chores done because this book is consuming me.

Posted by Sezzle on Thursday, May 10, 2012 11:14 PM (EST):

funny, I just asked my husband for this for my birthday, because I read a short review in laywitness. Now I’m looking forward even more!

Posted by jedesto on Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:20 PM (EST):

Anne, you might enjoy the novels by Michael D. O’Brien; I would begin with “The Island of the World,” especially if, like I am, you are fascinated by the long, rich, sad history and the convoluted culture of Croatia.

Posted by Shamrock on Thursday, May 10, 2012 9:46 PM (EST):

Oh Simcha…you have before you the greatest pleasure and experience in literature there exists! I first read this trilogy as part of an assignment for a college literature class. I was not looking forward to reading this trilogy of over 1000 pages and put it off until the last possible moment ( which speaks to how insane college students can be!)Having little choice I lugged it home over Christmas vacation. The day after arriving home bleary eyed from a 15 hour train ride, I opened the first page of the first volume and was transfixed for those two weeks.That
vacation became known as the one where I NEVER came out of my room except to eat a hasty meal or for a bathroom break!Even so by the time vacation ended I still had many pages to read…and even after reading the entire train ride back to school, I was not finished. Finally, late one night, sitting up in bed, I burst into tears as I read the last page…much to my room-mate’s concern and consternation I could not stop sobbing! Never before or since has a book stirred my emotions the way KL had and still does.
I will on occasion, these many years later ( I celebrated my 50th college reunion 5 years ago)pick up to re-read, especially the 3rd volume during Lent. The last pages includes one of the most moving scenes, depicting the death of Kirsten, as one of her son’s removes her wedding band from her finger:

” A handmaiden of God had she been - a wayward, unruly,
servant, oftenest an eye-servant in her prayers and faith-
less in her heart, slothful and neglectful, impatient under
correction, but little constant in her deeds - yet had He
held her fast in His service, and under the glittering,
golden ring a mark had been set secretly upon her, showing
that she was His handmaid, owned by the Lord and King, who
was now coming, borne by the priest’s anointed hands, to
give her freedom and salvation -

These last words written by Undset never fail to move me…as I am sure
they will you when you come to end this most incredible reading experience. It has been called the novel of the 20th century…and you do
know that Undset won the Noble prize for literature for this incredible work in 1926. I believe she was the first woman to receive this honor.For me there is none other who reaches her stature as a novelist. The late Anton Pegis writes in his book, The Wisdom of Catholicism, of Undset and KL the following:

” The story, set in late mediaeval Norway, is rich in
the understanding of human nature, is the life of Kristin
and the theme concerns the growth of Kristin as a hand-
maid of God. Evil is in the world, as Paul Claudel writes,
as the slave of grace. The life of Kristin embodies that
lesson.”

I have both translations and I think I slightly favor that of Charles
Archer. Either translation, it will I believe, become a favorite, if
not the most favorite book on the shelf…and certainly of the heart!

Posted by Emmers on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:56 PM (EST):

UGH! I couldn’t *stand* that book! It was well-written, pulled me in and all that, but I was completely horrified and utterly depressed by almost everything that transpired, and I’m both well-read and not generally one for being naive. Mind you . . . okay, well, when I tried reading it I was fairly newly married, pregnant for the first time (I am a total hater when pregnant), wretchedly morning-sick, very depressed and alone (husband was on a long business-related trip for some weeks). So, er, I may not have been terribly objective. ;) I got most of the way through, but couldn’t finish it without risking a complete meltdown.

Maybe I should pick it up again when not-pregnant (or, heaven forbid, postpartum!) someday. :P

Posted by Tina on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:50 PM (EST):

I read the deluxe trilogy edition, Nunnally translation, all 1000 pages, without being able to put it down. Hadn’t lost that much sleep since my youngest quit breastfeeding and started sleeping through the night.

Posted by Mack Hall on Thursday, May 10, 2012 7:38 PM (EST):

Wow! Thanks, everyone!

Posted by There's a Bird on Thursday, May 10, 2012 7:27 PM (EST):

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. KL is phenomenal. I am slogging my way through Master of Hesviken now. There was never any slogging through KL. I found the second book to be the slowest, but MoH is darn-right painful. I’ve been forcing my way through the story because I have to believe that SOMEthing good will happen at some point! The language, however, is as beautiful as KL.

Posted by Maria on Thursday, May 10, 2012 6:37 PM (EST):

I agree with what Anna and some others have said, don’t introduce it too early to young people. Even if they read it and like, (and many won’t) they will miss out on being able to relate to all the real passion (good and bad) that she portrays in marriage. I read it after I had been married a while, and loved it. Waited a while longer to read the second, and again for the third. I felt like my married life (in age) was paralleling Kristin’s. I know most people won’t wait to do that, but it made it so much more enriching!

Posted by Amy on Thursday, May 10, 2012 4:01 PM (EST):

So wonderful to read your thoughts about KL. I’ve read it, and loved it. And then read it again - the Tiina Nunnally translation, and loved it more. I also love The Master of Hestviken. I asked Nunnally if she’d be translating it, and it boiled down to if she were asked paid, then yes. (She won the prestigious PEN award for her translating work on KL - you’d think Penguin would leap at the chance to have her do Master of Hestviken, but I guess not)

Reading the passage you copied out has whetted my appetite to read the books again. She describes things so vividly. I read them in my 20s, and then in my 40s…and must say they made a much bigger impact the second time around.

Anne - other great novels which encompass everyday people & the Catholic faith include The Samurai by Shusaku Endo, The Heirs of the Kingdom by Zoe Oldenbourg, and The Door in the Grimming by Paula Grogger (a contemporary of Undset, but lived in Austria)

Current (but actually written in the 1940s) novels recently available are the works of Irene Nemirovsky…an amazing amazing writer. Suite Francaise is one title.

Posted by Stephen Sparrow on Thursday, May 10, 2012 3:35 PM (EST):

Undset is brilliant - here is my take on her http://catholiceducation.org/articles/arts/al0173.html

Posted by federoff11 on Thursday, May 10, 2012 3:20 PM (EST):

Yes, my high-school aged daughter did her senior English paper on KL and WOWED the teacher. It was one of the few books she took on to college with her. She thinks I am a literary goddess because I recommend such GREAT books… but really, its just the greatest Catholic novel of all times.

Posted by Anne on Thursday, May 10, 2012 3:15 PM (EST):

KRistin L and Master of H…second only to the Bible for me
Please make my day and recommend another novel that is as epic as these. I have looked for years and nothing comes close.

Posted by J H on Thursday, May 10, 2012 2:42 PM (EST):

I met a woman from Denmark once and told her, excitedly, how I loved Kristin Lavransdatter. She sneared and said that she hates how she portrays women. Oh, the insights she misses out on!

Posted by Reader on Thursday, May 10, 2012 2:13 PM (EST):

I strongly second Gunnar’s Daughter. It’s a quick 150 pages in stunning, sparse prose about a woman who is raped and only wants revenge. Amazing and sad.

Posted by Christy on Thursday, May 10, 2012 2:12 PM (EST):

LOVED this trilogy. Two of my girlfriends and I read them and then watched the “Kristen Lavrensdatter” movie after we were finished. The movie of course paled in comparision, but we had such great discussions! Thanks for reminding me of sweet times with friends! Keep posting your thoughts on the book.

Posted by Rob MacMillan on Thursday, May 10, 2012 1:53 PM (EST):

Very much agree with ARM - the Nunnally translation is far superior. I would also add that the KL trilogy is a particularly great book for a couple to read. She captures the interior world of men brilliantly, in a way that so few woman authors do. Would not suggest for teenagers. My wife and I both read it in our 40s - to me, it would seem best appreciated after a few chapters of adult life experience.

Posted by teomatteo on Thursday, May 10, 2012 1:37 PM (EST):

I had to introduce my literary wife to K. L. She has read a book every two weeks for about 25 years and had never heard of K.Lavransdatter till i read about it on a catholic blog three years ago. I still wonder how, why…that book was missed.

Posted by Ann on Thursday, May 10, 2012 1:28 PM (EST):

Am reading, and reading, and reading this now! And I’m a really fast reader! I love it, but is this thing ever going to finish? When I started reading comments about the two translations, I raced over to the Amazon site to see which one I have (am at work having a late lunch) and thankfully have the more detailed one, as I thought. The sex isn’t really explicit. It occurs, but it’s not exactly “described.” I find it all very Catholic. It’s a great read. I’m sure I’ll list it as a favorite if I ever finish it.

Posted by Joy on Thursday, May 10, 2012 1:00 PM (EST):

Ooooh. This makes me want to read the new translation. I sort of liked the archaic sounding language of the older version, though—good for setting the mood of the place and time. Another tip—if you watch the Liv Ullmann movie of the same title, be aware that it only really encompasses the first part of the trilogy. To stop the story there is to miss the whole point of the book. Happy reading!

Posted by Sherry on Thursday, May 10, 2012 12:34 PM (EST):

So I’m guessing the kids get pizza or cold cereal for dinner tonight? It’s what we do when Mom has a book she can’t put down.

Posted by C.K. on Thursday, May 10, 2012 12:07 PM (EST):

I’ve often seen this book trumpeted as exemplary Catholic literature, so I was a little surprised when I read it to see it contains sexually explicit content, even if the level of detail doesn’t come close to what modern readers expect. I imagine this is something most Catholic readers notice, but it hardly ever gets mentioned. It’s something people should be aware of before they hand the books off to their teenage son.

Posted by ARM on Thursday, May 10, 2012 11:54 AM (EST):

Re: the missed scenes, I don’t have a comprehensive list, but I believe one of the key missing scenes is on Kristin’s wedding night. There’s also history between Fru Ashild and Ragnfrid that’s relevant, that I believe Archer skips. And a dialogue between Kristin and Saint Olaf when she goes on pilgrimage in the second volume. About Brothers K., try the Oxford World’s Classics translation (called “The Karamazov Brothers”). I don’t know anything about Russian,but it’s very readable, and the translator sounds like he has the right attitude in his introduction.

Posted by anna lisa on Thursday, May 10, 2012 11:35 AM (EST):

Thank you for the recommendation. If it can keep the mother of an infant turning the pages at night, it MUST be great.

Posted by Marie M on Thursday, May 10, 2012 11:23 AM (EST):

My absolute favorite novel of all time :) I recommend it to everyone! And Simcha, I LOVE your commentary, so keep it coming when you are done reading the trilogy. I read the Archer translation all the way through the first time but then I read the Nunnaly version and really prefer it. One of my favorite things about the book is that you can read it really fast, skipping the “scenery” or you can read it really slowly, almost like taking a Sunday drive and enjoying the scenery and thereby gaining the insights like yours about frosty hearts and wills. I have not read the other books by Undset, but maybe that’s on the horizon for summer vaca!

Posted by bob cratchit on Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:43 AM (EST):

I might get a copy of this for my daughter (& me too). I also just finished Bros. Karamazov (not the Garnett translation either-no!) Took me nearly 6 months to finish it though.

Posted by Kate on Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:32 AM (EST):

My mom tried to get me to read this when I was in middle school, but being in middle school, I was not terribly interested in my mother’s suggestions. I’ll have to give it another shot.

Posted by Lea on Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:27 AM (EST):

Kristin Lavransdatter is hands-down one of the best novels ever written. It is an incredible work of Christian literature. I love it, and I’m so glad you do too!

Posted by Beth on Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:14 AM (EST):

G R E A T book! So glad I was introduced to it via a Catholic website’s ‘summer reading list’ a few years ago. Definitely not a book to start when you have things to do in the next week. I’ve got the Master of Hestviken series all ready….once this schooling thing finally ends for the summer!
Thanks for your thoughts on the book—you are so good at ‘splainin’ things!

Posted by Quid est Veritas? on Thursday, May 10, 2012 9:30 AM (EST):

I’m so glad you like them. I can’t wait to see what your impressions of the next two books are.

Posted by Ellen on Thursday, May 10, 2012 9:25 AM (EST):

http://www.ou.edu/worldlit/essays/Nunnally-RemovingtheGrime.html
Consider switching to the Tina Nunnally translation. Check out the Article in the link above. It is a comparison of the two translations. There are sections omitted In the first English translation that you don’t want to miss. I

Posted by Sarah Patterson on Thursday, May 10, 2012 9:11 AM (EST):

Also read Gunnar’s Daughter, which is so tragically amazing. Undset captures the depth of human nature so well, ah, so good!!

Posted by Monique in TX on Thursday, May 10, 2012 9:01 AM (EST):

Hmm. I’ve read the trilogy, and I’m glad I read it, but I must admit it’s not a favorite. Though the writing was top notch, I found the work as a whole depressing, and by the end I wanted to shake all the major characters until their teeth rattled. Sorry to diss a classic, but there it is.

Readers looking for a big, meaty, intellectual-but-not dull, exciting story with wonderful (flawed)characters and gorgeous language should look into Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles, which commence with _Game of Kings_. Set in 16th century Europe (mostly), it makes history come alive.

Posted by Simcha Fisher on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:54 AM (EST):

Yeah, me too.

Posted by Anonymous Today on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:53 AM (EST):

I am so glad this post is not about sex.

Posted by Simcha Fisher on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:53 AM (EST):

I still think the Archer is remarkably smooth for a translated work. I’m fighting my way through The Brothers Karamazov again, and the klunkiness is driving me crazy.

Posted by Simcha Fisher on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:51 AM (EST):

“Some of them are extremely important for understanding Lavrans and Ragnfrid’s marriage, which otherwise remains more mysterious than it’s supposed to be.”
Ohhhkay. I was really hoping that would get cleared up in parts 2 and 3! Maybe I will read the Nunnally before I read the next book, then.

Posted by antigon on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:47 AM (EST):

McArthur was right. Not least Undset captures the delicate interplay of men & women in their struggles with one another sexual & otherwise, as no other writer: Lawrence - whom Chesterton noted had, “except for the nonsense,” a very Catholic sense of sexuality - is but a distant second.

Posted by ARM on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:45 AM (EST):

I can’t believe you’re reading the Scott/Archer translation! Just kidding, but seriously, you should order at least one volume of Tiina Nunnally’s translation and try it. Not only is it stylistically much better, but Archer (without indicating the fact) skipped several key scenes - some because he thought they were too racy, and some, apparently, because they were too religious.

Undset worked for years to achieve the style - she wanted it to be believably medieval without archaism. As I understand, she managed to achieve this by using modern usage, but sticking to words whose roots were authentically early Norwegian - kind of as if an English writer did the same with words of Anglo-Saxon roots. The Nunnally translation reflects that much better than the Archer, which tends more to studied archaism, often to the point of downright klunkiness.

Anyway, regardless of the style, the missing scenes are enough reason to get the new translation. Some of them are extremely important for understanding Lavrans and Ragnfrid’s marriage, which otherwise remains more mysterious than it’s supposed to be.

Posted by Daria M Sockey on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:41 AM (EST):

So happy for you that you have discovered this. And if you are already wondering what you’ll do with yourself when KL is finished, there’s the Master of Hestviken, her other medieval epic, plus several shorter novels with modern (1920s) settings that deal with marriage, children, relationships, and faith or lack thereof.These are amazing because apparently, 1920s Norway held pretty much the exact same attitudes about religion,marriage, sexual morality and women as contemporary secular USA. Most of these are out of print except for one that Ignatius recently re-issused, but you can find them used without too much trouble.

Posted by Anna on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:37 AM (EST):

I need to reread KL! My mom loved these books, but I didn’t like them much. So that’s my one caution: don’t introduce them to your kids too young. I was probably in 6th or 7th grade - way too young to really get the themes, even if my reading level was technically high enough.

Posted by Michelle on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:16 AM (EST):

Love this book! I received the new translation for Christmas. Once I started reading I could not put it down. Some of the things that stuck with me the most occurred in the second two books. So….please write another post after you finish those.

Posted by Bill Sockey on Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:07 AM (EST):

Dr. Ronald McArthur, founding president of Thomas Aquinas College in California, once told students that KL was probably the greatest novel ever written. In a discussion at the College someone remarked that good male novelists can accurately portray women and how they think, but woman novelists never portray men’s thoughts and emotions accurately. Someone replied “Sigred Undset” and those who had read KL and “The Master of Hestviken” heartily agreed Undset was unparalleled. Have faith, Simcha, this is a Catholic novel and Kristin’s worst fault becomes her salvation.

Posted by Morgan on Thursday, May 10, 2012 7:41 AM (EST):

I just read Sigrid Undset’s biography of St. Catherine and it was really good too. My grandmother paid me $20 in college to read KL and I am glad she did it’s an amazing book because the world is so foreign but the characters all too familiar!

Posted by Anna B on Thursday, May 10, 2012 7:12 AM (EST):

The KL trilogy is one of the greatest novels of all time, and as a historical novel it’s absolutely unrivalled. Undset was steeped in knowledge of the Scandinavian Middle Ages from childhood, so she was able to write about them almost as if she were writing about her own time. The Scott/Archer translation comes across as more self-consciously archaic than the Norwegian original. The new translation, on the other hand, errs a bit in the other direction – too modern, too streamlined and prosaic. It’s a little like the difference between old and new translations of the Bible. Anyway I’m happy for you, you have such a good read ahead of you!

These are some of my very favorite books! Undset wrote a great book on St. Catherine of Siena, too.

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